Greenhouse setup checklist
A greenhouse fails or succeeds on ventilation and water more than on anything grown in it. Get the base level and the airflow right before worrying about staging.
18 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Site chosen, level and out of strong wind
- Base laid — slabs, concrete or a timber frameA level, firm base keeps the whole structure square.
- Greenhouse anchored downAn unanchored greenhouse can lift in a gale.
- Guttering fittedTurns the roof into free water for the water butt instead of a wasted runoff.
- Water butt connected to the guttering
- Staging or shelving installedKeeps trays off the cold floor and at a workable height.
- Ventilation checked — roof vents and louvres opening freely
- Automatic vent opener fittedOpens on hot days whether or not anyone remembers to.
- Shading applied for summerWhitewash or netting stops young plants scorching behind glass.
- Insect netting fitted over ventsKeeps the ventilation without inviting everything in that flies.
- Thermometer, ideally a min-max oneTells you how cold it actually got overnight, not just how it feels by day.
- Heater or frost protection for winter, if it's used all year
- Electric supply checked, if a heater or propagator needs one
- Capillary matting laid on the stagingKeeps pots watered for a few days without anyone visiting.
- Watering can or hose within reach
- Pots, trays and grow bags stockedGrow bags for tomatoes and cucumbers save digging a border.
- Glass or panels checked for cracks before the first frost
- Greenhouse cleaned and disinfected before first useRemoves algae and overwintering pests from a previous season.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Does a greenhouse need a solid base?
- Yes — a level, firm base stops the frame racking out of square, which then means doors that stick and glass or panels under stress in the corners.
- How much ventilation does a greenhouse need?
- More than most people fit as standard. Roof vents plus a door left ajar on warm days prevent the scorching and the fungal problems that come from still, humid air.